Arnold Bax - String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2 (Maggini Quartet)

Information

Composer: Arnold Bax

• (01) String Quartet No. 1 in G major
• (04) String Quartet No. 2 in A minor

Maggini Quartet
Laurence Jackson, violin
David Angel, violin
Martin Outram, viola
Michal Kaznowski, cello

Date: 2001
Label: Naxos
https://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.555282

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Review

Another unmissable offering from the Magginis – the complex and brooding Second Quartet particularly accomplished

Had Dvorák written an Irish Quartet to sit alongside his delectable American‚ it might well have sounded like the start of Bax’s First String Quartet. Completed in 1918 and subsequently dedicated to Elgar (who ‘liked the look of it’ but sadly never heard it)‚ this is one of Bax’s most endearing and approachable scores. The clean­cut opening Allegretto semplice positively beams with happiness‚ and it’s succeeded by a wistfully intimate slow movement. In the latter‚ listen at 3'52" and 6'39" for the brief quotation from A Romance‚ a piano miniature penned at about the same time as the quartet and a piece Bax later revisited in the central Lento moderato of his Fourth Symphony. The finale begins and finishes in a mood of pagan revelry‚ though there’s time for a ravishing episode in Bax’s sweetest lyrical vein‚ its indelible tune a close cousin to the folksong The Fair Hills of Ireland.

The Second Quartet of 1924­25 proves an altogether tougher nut to crack. Conceived at the same time as the Second Symphony (with which it shares something of the the same driven‚ oppressive quality)‚ it’s a knotty‚ densely plotted creation‚ as harmonically daring as Bax ever ventured and demanding formidable concentration from performers and listeners alike (repeated hearings confirm that the cello’s declamatory solo at the outset sows the seeds for so much that follows).

I can report that the Maggini Quartet do Bax absolutely proud‚ their performances striking an ideal balance between urgent expression and purposeful clarity (the luxuriant textures of the Second Quartet are sifted with especial insight). Both rival readings on Chandos have considerable strengths (and we could do with a reissue of the Griller Quartet’s classic Decca version No 1 – 1/42‚ nla)‚ but the Maggini’s scrupulously dedicated advocacy will captivate both seasoned Baxians and newcomers alike. With exemplary production­values throughout‚ this is an outstanding coupling in every way.

-- Gramophone

More reviews:
BBc Music Magazine  PERFORMANCE: ***** / SOUND: *****
ClassicsToday  ARTISTIC QUALITY: 9 / SOUND QUALITY: 9
MusicWeb International  BARGAIN OF THE MONTH
https://www.naxos.com/reviews/reviewslist.asp?catalogueid=8.555282&languageid=EN
https://www.amazon.com/Bax-String-Quartets-Nos-Arnold/dp/B00005RG7Q

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Arnold Bax (8 November 1883 – 3 October 1953) was an English composer, poet, and author. His prolific output includes songs, choral music, chamber pieces, and solo piano works, but he is best known for his orchestral music. In addition to a series of symphonic poems he wrote seven symphonies and was for a time widely regarded as the leading British symphonist. In his last years Bax found his music regarded as old-fashioned, and after his death it was generally neglected. From the 1960s onwards, mainly through a growing number of commercial recordings, his music was gradually rediscovered.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_Bax

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The Maggini Quartet, formed in 1988, is a British string quartet. The Quartet's name derives from the famous 16th century Brescian violin maker Giovanni Paolo Maggini. Maggini Quartet is known for championing the British repertoire, and has made many CD recordings for publishers such as Naxos Records. In addition to their concert activity, the members of the Quartet have an international reputation as chamber music coaches. Its current members are Julian Leaper (violin 1), Ciaran McCabe (violin 2, replaced David Angel, who died unexpectedly in 2017), Martin Outram (viola) and Michal Kaznowski (cello).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maggini_Quartet
http://maggini.net/

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